Elon Musk may be the most prominent voice calling for a return to in-person work, but he is hardly alone. After almost two years of virtual work, an ever-increasing number of employees are having to give up their pajamas and don business attire again. Elena Asher is adamant, however, that the time and attention we’ve given to our faces during an era of Zoom meetings need not fall to the wayside as our time and energy goes to making the rest of our bodies look presentable. As the founder of Miami-based LashMakers, Asher is confident that, if applied correctly and with appropriate care, the 118 products she makes can keep women looking both beautiful and professional without taking up too much time before the morning commute.
Asher knows her eyelashes. LashMakers sells products in 57 different nations globally to hundreds of thousands of customers, and Asher herself is now an internationally-recognised speaker, businesswoman, and educator. The last is an important qualifier; Asher not only produces beauty supplies, but also spearheads educational efforts for over 400 women yearly, teaching them not only how to apply lash extensions but also how to run a million dollar business. That’s why she understands that women need not spend precious minutes preparing their eyelashes each morning; she trains eyelash artists to make sure that extensions will look beautiful on the day they are removed as they do on the day they are applied.
It isn’t just about eyelashes, however. Asher is just as passionate about empowering women towards financial independence. She knows about that, too. At the age of 21, she emigrated to the United States from Israel and Russia, speaking little English and having even less money. Yet, from starting an eyelash business in her living room, she has built an empire that has given her the financial freedom to help other women rise up like her.
Asher hopes that her story, and LashMakers itself, can inspire other women to follow in her footsteps. She loves her job, and throws herself into each day because, as she says, “Discipline will keep you learning and growing, but love will make you work with purpose.” As many of us transition away from remote work, we should all be so lucky as to have the same level of passion and purpose.
